Tuesday, July 12, 2011

All Star Break in Arizona, Congrats Gaby!

It's the All-Star break, a time for many major leaguers to rest and get fresh for the 2nd half. The only Marlins not resting is Gaby Sanchez, and I am sure he is not too mad about that. congrats to Gaby on his 1st all-star appearance. He made it at a tough position to get in, NL 1st baseman. Among Votto, Fielder, Howard, Pujols, and many others, Gaby is being recognized a true all-star in Arizona. He will not start but he will most likely come into the game in the later innings. Meanwhile, as far as the Marlins, they are riding a 5 game win streak into the all-star break and are now only 10.5 games behind the Braves in the wild card. While this seems steep, the Marlins will have the opportunity to play the Braves directly and make up ground. The schedule after the break starts with a 4 game set in Chicago, then a 1 game makeup at Citi Field, followed by a home series with San Diego. This seems like a time where the Marlins can gain some ground, as the Cubs and Padres are pretty weak teams. I've read some reports that think the Marlins should be sellers this year. I tend to disagree. While we should look into some options such as getting a good prospect from a team like the Yankees for a lefty in Randy Choate they might value, we should not sell the team, especially with the new stadium next year. I can only imagine the front office wants the Marlins to be a contender when they open the stadium. Speaking of the new stadium, all accounts I have heard point to the opening game being on April 4th to start off the new MLB season next year. The team will then go on a roadtrip after the one game and tweak any problems they found from the first night. Well Marlins players and fans, enjoy the break, root on Gaby Sanchez, and get ready for an exciting 2nd half, starting on Thursday at Wrigley Field. Go Fish!